Ganz Announces New Virtual World, Tail Towns

Webkinz creator Ganz has announced a new line of virtual world-supported collectibles for girls called Tail Towns. The line’s real world component is a series of “highly-detailed” animal figurines that ship with a registration code that lets the owner create an account at Tail Towns. Users who register can create a virtual villager in Tail Towns and use its skills to complete tasks and help grow their own private town. Collecting more Tail Towns figurines allows the player to increase her virtual villager’s skills and abilities.

Each villager registered at Tail Towns begins with a virtual estate that the player can develop into her personally customized private village. Users can invite friends who also play Tail Towns to join their village.  Players develop their villages by working at jobs and earning virtual currency. Players can also complete special tasks in order to be rewarded directly with virtual goods and currency. Ganz promises that Tail Towns will offer its users some story content to discover, which it describes as “tangled tales of forbidden love, true romance and hidden treachery!”

Tail Towns will feature unmoderated player chat for users over 13, so this line is clearly meant to serve girls who’ve gotten a bit too old for Ganz’s Webkins line but still enjoy tying real-world collectibles to a virtual world experience. Ganz plans to launch Tail Towns on March 8, which is International Women’s Day.  Tail Towns appears to be Ganz’s first new virtual world product since the company’s Webkinz, Jr., virtual world for kids ages 3 to 6 went live early in 2009.

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